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TexasTowelie

TexasTowelie's Journal
TexasTowelie's Journal
December 31, 2023

14th Amendment questions have to be "resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court," David Becker says - Face the Nation



As the Maine Secretary of State decided former President Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the presidential primary ballot, CBS News election legal contributor David Becker, the founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, tells "Face the Nation" that questions surrounding the 14th Amendment's insurrectionist clause have to be "resolved by the United States Supreme Court."
December 31, 2023

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says Texas governor creating "chaos" with migrant transport - Face the Nation



Mayors Brandon Johnson of Chicago and Mike Johnston of Denver, who have pushed the Biden administration for more help in dealing with the influx of migrants, join "Face the Nation" to discuss how immigration is affecting their communities. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is "determined to continue to sow seeds of chaos" with migrant transport to their cities.
December 31, 2023

Ukraine war: Russia hits back after Kyiv attack on border city - BBC News



Ukraine has come under attack by Russian air strikes again, officials say, after two days of major aerial assaults by both sides.

Most attacks were concentrated on Kharkiv in the east, but explosions were also reported elsewhere.

Moscow said it was retaliating against Ukrainian strikes on the Russian border city of Belgorod on Saturday, which killed at least 24 people.

That came after Russia carried out air strikes across Ukraine on Friday.
December 31, 2023

How Republicans are Disenfranchising Native Arizona Voters With Jaynie Parrish - Lovett or Leave It



Jaynie Parrish, founder and president of Arizona Native Vote, joins Lovett or Leave It to discuss Republicans' voting meddling in past elections and what her organization is doing to fight for better voting rights in Arizona.
December 31, 2023

30 Dec: Busy day. Ukrainians start a massive hunt on Russian strategic missile launchers - Reporting from Ukraine



Day 675: Dec 30

Today, Ukrainian forces launched a hunt on the Russian missile launchers that conducted the strike on Kharkiv City.

As you remember, Russian forces exploited the fact that the city is located just 25 kilometers from the border, giving the Ukrainian air defense virtually no time to react. Moreover, in the case of Kharkiv, Russians also resorted exclusively to S-300 and Iskander missiles, which reach a speed of around 8000 kilometers per hour and have a ballistic trajectory. The Ukrainian Air Force Spokesman reported that only Patriot systems are capable of dealing with such threats. Recently released footage indicates that the combination of all these factors allowed Russians to inflict a lot of damage. Geolocated footage confirms that Russians struck a big hotel in the center of the city and a residential building. Russian sources claimed that they were used by Ukrainian soldiers. Russian sources also claimed that they struck a former tank factory, a tram depot, and other military objects. And judging by the fact Russians used up to 10 rockets in total, there is no doubt that the other 8 caused a lot of inconveniences, to say the least.

The good news is that Russians in Belgorod are as close to the border as Kharkiv, so the retaliation was inevitable. In fact, Ukrainians launched a counterstrike the moment the Russian strike ended. As the rough location of the Russian missile launchers was revealed by Ukrainian radars that detected the missiles, Ukrainians immediately sent their drones into the region to hunt them down. Local residents reported hearing a lot of explosions somewhere outside the city. Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that they shot down 13 drones and claimed that the drones were operating in coordination with multiple-launch rocket systems. And Ukrainians indeed have multiple-launch rocket systems that have a good reach, such as Uragans. The information revealed by the Russian Ministry of Defense suggests that Ukrainians used dozens of drones to scan the region, and once they found Russian military equipment, it was immediately targeted by the artillery. The use of multiple-launch rocket systems also makes sense as it allows correcting the fire without reloading if rockets are launched individually and quickly drive away from the spot once the salvo is completed. The most prominent Russian sources reported that the heaviest fire was in the western part of the Belgorod region, precisely where Russians have a big military base.

Such operations continued through the night till morning. During the day, several explosions were reported in the middle of Belgorod City. Ukrainian special force representatives reported that they did not have any targets inside the city and that the destruction was caused by the ineptitude of the Russian air defense operators. To be fair, Russian air defense operators indeed proved that they pose a much greater threat to their own aviation rather than Ukrainian because, over the last month, the Russian air defense destroyed 2 Russian fighter jets, killing all pilots. Russians also put the S-300 missile launchers, which they use both for strikes and air defense, right behind the city, so it expected that Ukrainians would be aiming there.

Nonetheless, Russian sources reported that Ukrainians purposefully hit civilians to spoil the New Year as an act of retribution for the Russian strike. To everyone's surprise, the final word was said by the Russian Ministry of Defense, which admitted that the destruction was caused in the aftermath of the air defense work. The Russian Ministry of Defense added that Ukrainians will answer for this crime. The Russian Ministry of Defense also claimed that Ukrainians launched this strike not as a direct retaliation to the Russian strike, seizing a perfect opportunity for hunting down Russian Iskanders and S-300 launchers, but for the purpose of diverting media attention from the lack of success on the fronts.

Some Ukrainian analysts noted that this is somewhat ironic, as Russians had launched 5 offensive operations, incurred tens of thousands of losses, and did not even get close to operationally significant results. It is true that Russians have generated a series of tactical gains along the front line, but the purpose of operations is to achieve operational gains, such as their goal of encircling Avdiivka.

Profile Information

Gender: Male
Hometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
Home country: United States
Current location: Bryan, Texas
Member since: Sun Aug 14, 2011, 03:57 AM
Number of posts: 112,168

About TexasTowelie

Retired/disabled middle-aged white guy who believes in justice and equality for all. Math and computer analyst with additional 21st century jack-of-all-trades skills. I'm a stud, not a dud!
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